wads

[silas oberhauser]

whats the best material to make wads out of? i bought some material today to work with. some of what i got is foam like you see in the big foam #1 hands people have at sporting events. another is like foam poster board, .5" stuff from hobby lobby, and a hard 1/8"ish poster board to try. anyone ever melt wax onto a cotton ball? i am thinking about making a mold out of a shell hull and making some. also, can you use COW or Corn meal as a filler wad? under the shot cup?

[220swiftfn]

The cardboard poster board is the best out of what you have listed, just get a leather punch that's the right size. You don't mention what you're going to be using this for, but I'm assuming that it's for a wad column, correct? If so, take a look at Midway, Midsouth, Graf's, etc. for waxed hard card wads, they're cheap, splittable, and will save you a LOT of time that would have been spent cutting your own. COW or cornmeal? NO. Waxed cotton ball? Will probably collapse / deform in transit and give erratic patterns / pressure.


Dan

[silas oberhauser]

thanks for the input, you are correct, it is for a wad column in a round ball load, i have seen someone use styrafoam for a wad column on this forum and thats where i got the idea. also i am goin to make paper pulp wadding, blend it all up, then put it between two flat boards. maybe mix with some elmers glue to give it some more strength? i know i can buy items for cheap, but its a personal goal to use the most homemade items and less store bought, like killing a deer with a bow and arrows you have made your self, i know that feeling and love it.

[220swiftfn]

thanks for the input, you are correct, it is for a wad column in a round ball load, i have seen someone use styrafoam for a wad column on this forum and thats where i got the idea. also i am goin to make paper pulp wadding, blend it all up, then put it between two flat boards. maybe mix with some elmers glue to give it some more strength? i know i can buy items for cheap, but its a personal goal to use the most homemade items and less store bought, like killing a deer with a bow and arrows you have made your self, i know that feeling and love it.

Not a problem! I do understand the "want to do as much by my own hand as possible", that's kinda what this board is all about.... That being said, I still stand behind my suggestions, (when I was making BP shells, I used the cardboard backing from paper tablets and ground a cutting edge on a section of heavy-wall pipe). If you're making your own cardboard from pulp, try to aim for @ 1/2" dry thickness, or you'll be cutting a LOT of times for each shell loaded....

Also, personally, I'd stay away from the styrofoam, cardboard breaks down, but styro will be left in the field for a very long time.......

Dan

[TonyfromItaly]

Wads are made from hight density poliethylene. It comes in about 10 kg bags and it is in the form of pellets. often used to make agricoltural nets. You can try to melt to make your own wad or use the pellets underneath the ball.

[silverman1]

Wads are cheap,but like everything else,it is $7.99 for a bag of claybusters,and $18.00 for shipping forUPS.
I bought (Years ago) a wadcutter,that goes in a drill press.
I used to get cigar boxes ,break them apart,and used the cardboard for wads.
And for cushion wads,they used to use a brown board for insulating homes under the siding.
I could pick up scraps for free at any construction site.
I used to get at work,cardboard corners,that went between the steel banding,,and the product,that prevented the banding from cutting into the wood,or getting cut,by steel plate.
Some of these are 1/4 in thick,laminated board,cut fine,and can be peeled apart for any thickness wad .
I cut some 1/4,and 3/8 in.foam board,used for insulating under Alum.siding,and put a layer of that between an 1/8 in over powder wad,and an 1/8 in wad under the shot.
It would compress a little,and allow the crimp to form better.
So if you want to try and do everything yourself,make your own wadcutter on a lathe,and start cutting your own.